Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues

We have investigated complaints that since 1995 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has failed to provide adequate, accurate and timely information about State Pension age and the number of qualifying years’ National Insurance contributions needed to claim the full rate of State Pension. Our investigation had three stages. The first stage considered DWP’s communication of changes to State Pension age. We published our findings for stage one in July 2021. We found that DWP began writing to people affected by the 2011 Pensions Act promptly. But maladministration led to a delay in DWP writing to women about their State Pension age changing as a result of the 1995 Pensions Act. Research reported in 2004 showed that only 43% of all women affected by the 1995 Pensions Act knew their State Pension was 65, or between 60 and 65. The research report said it was ‘essential’ that particular groups, including ‘women who would be affected by the change’, should be ‘appropriately targeted with accessible information on the equalisation of [State Pension age]’.